“We need quite a bit more engineering and design work, we’ve got to engage with the community, and iwi and hapū need to be spoken to before we can turn it into an actual plan of what the replacement might look like.”
A total of $250,000 will be spent in 2024 (year one of the LTP), followed by $500,000 in year two, $750,000 in year three, $1m in year four and $30m in years five and six.
Council transport manager Damien Wood said work was underway on technical reports to inform a business case for Waka Kotahi.
Cameras were installed around Whanganui in recent weeks to model the routes used by freight vehicles moving through the town.
The bridge currently has a 6000kg heavy vehicle weight limit.
Work was being advanced as quickly as possible but it was hard to give a possible start date, Wood said.
“Once funding is secured, significant engagement, design and consenting requirements will need to be worked through before procurement and construction can commence.”
Langford said time was ticking for the bridge and it was getting towards the end of its life.
It opened in 1914.
“There have been a lot of inspections to keep an eye on it because we know it’s getting old.
“We think there’s probably 10 years worth of life left in it if we keep the weight limit in place and don’t do any heavy maintenance to it.
“We’re at the point where we need to make a decision and then get on with it.”
The council’s 30-Year Infrastructure Strategy 2021–2051 estimated the replacement to cost around $50m.
Langford said there had been several years’ worth of inflation since the strategy was written.
“Cost of materials have all gone up because of Covid-19 supply chain issues.
Again, that ($62.5m) is an indicative price. We need to figure out what the right solution is and get an actual design on the table. Then, we can get a quantity surveyor to price it up properly.”
He said the bridge was a core piece of council infrastructure.
Replacing it could mean “prioritisation calls” in terms of the council’s share of funding.
“The council can’t afford to do everything the community wants. We need to have some trade-off conversations.
“That will be something that happens as part of the long-term plan consultation next year.
“How much is our community prepared to pay for?”
During a recent visit to Whanganui, National Party transport spokesperson Simeon Brown said the bridge was a pinch point for the city and the party would investigate options around replacing it.
“Obviously, it’s a local road, but we will support the [Whanganui District] council to do that,” Brown said.
“We see that as a key priority....”
Langford said there was a lot of work to do, no matter which Government was in power.
The design work alone would take quite a bit of time, with a lot of options to consider regarding what type of bridge it was and where it was located.
“It could be that we build the new one alongside it, so we can keep the existing one open during construction,” Langford said.
“Then you would have to rejig the roads on either side to make sure it connects into the existing roading network.
“There are a lot of engineering challenges that need to be thought through and you can’t really hurry that stuff up just because the Government changes.”
However, because the bridge was on the National Government’s radar, there could be a chance of conversations about getting extra funding if it was too much for Whanganui ratepayers to afford on their own, he said.
Business cases currently completed for the LTP come in at a combined total of $226.25m.
The LTP will be adopted at a council meeting on June 25 next year.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
